HC comes to rescue of Gastroenterologist who received notice over failure to report for COVID duty

Justice Anita Sumanth, presiding over the case further directed the dean of Madras Medical College (MMC) to return all original documents, including the medical practitioner's PG Degree mark sheets, which were submitted at the time of admission.

In September 2021, the State issued a show cause notice alleging that the doctor had failed to report for duty and had not joined the Tamil Nadu Medical Service. Dr Soundara Rajan had completed his post-graduation and Master of Chirurgiae in surgical gastroenterology between 2017 and 2020. As per the bond he had executed, he was obligated to serve the State for a period of two years (2020 - 2022).

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However, the petitioner, L Soundara Rajan, sought the MHC's intervention to quash the show cause notice issued against him. Additionally, he requested the court to instruct the dean of MHC to return all original documents.

The petitioner argued that he had not received any official summons for duty from the State, apart from a brief period when he was engaged in Covid duty between September and December 2020.

Subsequently, the court noted that no official posting order was ever sent to the petitioner doctor. Given this situation, the court could not comprehend how the petitioner was expected to report for a duty to which he was never formally assigned, reports DTNext.